WEBVTT VICKI: ACCESS TO CALIFORNIA POLICE RECORDS INVOLVING USE OF FORCE, SEXUAL ASSAULT, AND LYING WHILE ON DUTY. ALSO, AS A MANDATE THAT BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE BE RELEASED WITHIN 45 DAYS. PASTOR LES SIMMONS VIEWS THE NEW LAWS AS A SIGNIFICANT CHAPTER FOLLOWING THE OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING OF STEPHON CLARK. >> WE CAN STOP AND REFLECT ON THE PROGRESS. IT HAS COST US, THOUGH. VICKI: THE UNARMED 22-YEAR-OLD, SHOT AND KILLED WHEN POLICE MISTOOK A CELL PHONE FOR A FIREARM. >> WE JUST PASSED THE SIX-MONTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF STEPHON CLARK. HOPEFULLY THIS BILL ALLOWS FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY AS TIME PASSES. VICKI: MAYOR DARRELL STEINBERG AGREES, ADDING SACRAMENTO POLICE ALREADY COMMIT TO RELEASING BODY CAMERA FOOTAGE WITHIN 30 DAYS. >> I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS TRANSPARENCY BILL WILL ACTUALLY BUILD MORE TRUST BETWEEN THE MEN AND WOMEN IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. VICKI: THE SACRAMENTO COUNTY SHERIFF IS STILL IN THE EARLY PROCESS OF OUTFITTING DEPUTIES WITH BODY CAMERAS. THEY BELIEVE THE NEW LAWS ARE AN EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT OFFICERS REGULARLY FACE. >> I THINK IT WILL SHOW THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE A DEGREE OF TRANSPARENCY. BUT ALSO THERE MAY BE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY MAY SEE THAT MAY SHOCK THEM. THE VIOLENT ELEMENT WE DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS. VICKI: BUT THERE IS ALSO A CONCERN OF OPENING UP LAW ENFORCEMENT INVESTIGATIONS LIKE NEVER BEFORE. >> WE HAVE TO PROTECT PEOPLE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY, MAYBE WITNESSES, MAYBE THE IDENTITY OF VICTIMS. VICKI: GOVERNOR BROWN SIGNING INTO LAW AN INTENTION TO IMPROVE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COMMUNITIES THEY’RE SWORN TO PROTECT. >> I AM OPTIMISTIC. I AM ALWAYS ON THE SIDE OF, HOW DO WE BUILD TRUST? AND THIS IS A WE PROBLEM. THIS IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO SOLVE.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed two laws seeking increased transparency into officer-involved shootings and misconduct investigations within law enforcement. AB 748, authored by Assembly member Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, requires the release of recordings from body-worn cameras within 45 days of a critical incident, which is defined as the discharge of a firearm or use-of-force that causes death or great bodily harm. SB 1421, authored by State Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, makes investigations of use-of-force, sexual assault and lying while on duty open to public record access; currently, these investigation records are kept confidential. “I am optimistic. I am always on the side of, 'How do we build trust? How do we fix a problem and how do we come together?'” Pastor Les Simmons with South Sacramento Christian Center said. “This is a ‘we’ problem. This is something we have to solve.”Brown signed the bills into law six months after the deadly officer-involved shooting of Stephon Clark -- a 22-year-old unarmed black man shot and killed after officers mistook a cellphone for a firearm. “We can stop and reflect on the progress. It’s cost us, though,” Simmons said. “They are two significant steps that allow for some healing, allow for accountability, allow for some transparency that is well-needed in our state.”Sacramento police already commit to releasing body camera footage within 30 days. “The City Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the Sacramento Police Department, is examining SB 1421 and AB 748 to ensure compliance when the new laws take effect in 2019,” City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood said in a statement. “Earlier this year, the City announced it supported legislation to increase public transparency of police action and past conduct. We remain committed to fair and transparent policing in our community.”Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is still in the early process of outfitting deputies with body cameras. At just under 2,000 sworn officers, it is the seventh largest law enforcement agency in the country, Sgt. Shaun Hampton said. “I think it will show the communities we serve a degree of transparency. But also, there may be other things that they may see that may shock them -- the violent element we deal with on a daily basis,” Hampton said. “There are several concerns, but we’ll have to see how this plays out. This is all very new. We have to protect people within our community -- maybe witnesses, maybe the identity of victims, and in some cases the identity of victims that may be involved in heinous crimes.”Both bills were overwhelmingly opposed by law enforcement unions. However, the California Police Chiefs Association opposed AB 748, but supported SB 1421. “Transparency must be balanced with the privacy of those involved while ensuring the impartiality of the judicial process,” CPCA said in a statement. “The mandate in AB748 does not meet this balance, which is why CPCA remained opposed. Instead, CPCA supported SB 1421, which allows for release of this information while ensuring the proper balance between privacy and the public’s right to know.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) —

Gov. Jerry Brown signed two laws seeking increased transparency into officer-involved shootings and misconduct investigations within law enforcement.

“I am optimistic. I am always on the side of, 'How do we build trust? How do we fix a problem and how do we come together?'” Pastor Les Simmons with South Sacramento Christian Center said. “This is a ‘we’ problem. This is something we have to solve.”

Brown signed the bills into law six months after the deadly officer-involved shooting of Stephon Clark -- a 22-year-old unarmed black man shot and killed after officers mistook a cellphone for a firearm.

“We can stop and reflect on the progress. It’s cost us, though,” Simmons said. “They are two significant steps that allow for some healing, allow for accountability, allow for some transparency that is well-needed in our state.”

“The City Attorney’s Office, in coordination with the Sacramento Police Department, is examining SB 1421 and AB 748 to ensure compliance when the new laws take effect in 2019,” City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood said in a statement. “Earlier this year, the City announced it supported legislation to increase public transparency of police action and past conduct. We remain committed to fair and transparent policing in our community.”

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is still in the early process of outfitting deputies with body cameras. At just under 2,000 sworn officers, it is the seventh largest law enforcement agency in the country, Sgt. Shaun Hampton said.

“I think it will show the communities we serve a degree of transparency. But also, there may be other things that they may see that may shock them -- the violent element we deal with on a daily basis,” Hampton said. “There are several concerns, but we’ll have to see how this plays out. This is all very new. We have to protect people within our community -- maybe witnesses, maybe the identity of victims, and in some cases the identity of victims that may be involved in heinous crimes.”

Both bills were overwhelmingly opposed by law enforcement unions. However, the California Police Chiefs Association opposed AB 748, but supported SB 1421.

“Transparency must be balanced with the privacy of those involved while ensuring the impartiality of the judicial process,” CPCA said in a statement. “The mandate in AB748 does not meet this balance, which is why CPCA remained opposed. Instead, CPCA supported SB 1421, which allows for release of this information while ensuring the proper balance between privacy and the public’s right to know.”